Now That You Know
by buzzyrecky
Summary: It's Apollo's second year with the Wrights, and it's all but guaranteed to be even more hectic than the last. ((A Phoenix/Apollo fic. Takes place during the plot of Dual Destinies.))
1. Chapter 1 - I Love You, Apollo

**Chapter 1 - I Love You, Apollo**

April 17, 2027

It was midnight.

Trucy had left for bed a couple hours earlier, leaving Phoenix and Apollo alone in the office. But they weren't really talking; they were just… there. Phoenix had immersed himself in a stack of legal papers, and the younger man didn't want to bother him. On the other hand, Apollo had run out of things to do for the night. He pretended to scribble sentences in his notebook, but his attention was on his mentor… if mentor was the right way to describe the hobo sitting at the desk, at least. Apollo wasn't sure why Phoenix continued to study law, despite being badge-less for almost a decade, but the way old man's brow furrowed as he struggled through page after page… it was fricking cute.

It was ironic; the man Apollo idolized for so long ended up being nothing more than this unkempt, Steel Samurai-loving bully… who relied on his teenage daughter for income. But Apollo respected him all the same. They'd been through a lot over the past year.

The older man didn't notice he was being watched. He sat slouched, sifting through his papers listlessly, sporting a tired–but adorable–frown. It was past his bedtime, so he was probably waiting for Apollo to leave. Which Apollo promised himself he would. Soon. He was getting tired too.

He actually wasn't sure why he still dropped by the office most nights. There hadn't been much work for him recently, unless scrubbing the toilet counted. He just… enjoyed Phoenix's company. And Phoenix didn't seem to mind.

Of course, he didn't always stay this late. But it was April, which meant rain. The pattering of droplets on the window was relaxing, but heading outside would be a …less than pleasant experience. And why would he want to leave when the sofa was comfortable? He wouldn't be able to stare at Phoenix from his own apartment, and where would the fun be in that? But it _was_ late, and Apollo knew he'd have to head home eventually. The rain wasn't letting up anytime soon, either. Eventually, he sighed and eased himself up from his seat.

"Apollo. Stay."

Apollo stiffened, "Stay?"

Phoenix lowered his head, obscuring his eyes. A sly smile crept over his face, "It's raining; I don't want you to catch a cold."

"…Oh." So Phoenix was just worried about his health? Apollo imagined trying to sleep on a tiny sofa in the agency wouldn't be good for him, either, but if Phoenix was asking… "Um, here?"

"The office is cluttered, so I wouldn't sleep soundly if I told you to crash on the couch." Phoenix paused briefly, and then, "How about you come sleep with me?"

"What?!"

Phoenix stood, motioning Apollo towards the door with his head; "I have a big bed, so there's plenty of room for two."

Apollo already knew that. He'd helped Phoenix into it whenever he had one too many bottles of "grape juice"–i.e. more times than he could count. But it wasn't the size of the bed that he was worried about. Apollo knew falling asleep in a bed with a crush with wasn't exactly easy. He could keep his hands from wandering, but that was the extent of his self-control. And if Phoenix had an ulterior motive for keeping him, he'd have an entirely different set of problems on his hands.

Phoenix noticed his uneasiness and explained in a reassuring voice, "I'd feel safer if I didn't have to worry that you'd… roll over onto the glass table, or trip over Trucy's junk in the middle of the night. C'mon, let's go."

"O-Okay…"

The still hesitant Apollo lingered in front of his seat. Phoenix had to gently coax him out of the room with both of his hands. Apollo had a nagging feeling that a stranger was in the man's body, but the kindness in his eyes said otherwise. Still, Apollo had walked home in the rain before, so why had Phoenix stopped him this time? Was this really about his health? Apollo doubted it. He really didn't want to get his hopes up, though. Not again. But what other reason could Phoenix possibly have to make him stay the night? He struggled to remember everything they did that day. Phoenix was …sober, right?

Apollo clenched his fists and let the old man walk him down the hallway. He wasn't ready for the rest of the night. Whatever good or bad it was going to bring him. And yet, the warmth of the Phoenix's hands on his shoulders told him everything would be alright.

They stopped at the doorway.

"Mr. Wright?"

"Mm?"

"Shouldn't we take a shower first?"

Phoenix leaned in closer and spoke softly in his ear, "…Together?" which caused Apollo to jump, blushing furiously. Phoenix laughed and patted his head, "I know what you meant, don't worry." He quieted down for a second, "…but if you wanted to…"

"I-I'm fine!" Apollo stammered, trying to ignore the growing bulge in his pants.

"Alright, sexy. No shower then. You'll probably want one after we're done in here, anyway." Phoenix playfully shoved Apollo into the bedroom, where the younger man immediately tripped and faceplanted on his bed. Apollo flipped over and faced his assailant. It was too dark to see his face, but he was pretty sure Phoenix was grinning.

"Mr. Wright… are you okay?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

Apollo didn't know whether to point out that last thing Phoenix said, the shower bit, or the fact that they were in his bedroom right that moment. It wasn't that he didn't want any of these things–he did. It just… didn't feel right. Things were happening too fast, and he needed room to breathe.

"…Everything."

Phoenix's tensed up, "Oh. Was I being too bold?"

"No, I mean yes–but I liked it so, well… don't feel, um…" Apollo's voice trailed off, "…wow, this is really awkward."

"Maybe… well, yeah."

Phoenix walked in and slumped down at the edge of the bed. He sighed, but it sounded more like relief than anything else. Apollo scooted forward and sat next to him. Neither spoke for a few good minutes, but sitting together somehow made the atmosphere feel less uncomfortable.

Apollo figured one of them would have to speak up eventually, so he guessed he'd get it over with, "So, how long have you known?"

"That I was gay?"

"No," Apollo hesitated for a moment, "that… I was."

Phoenix shrugged, "It's been awhile. Before our last case, maybe."

Apollo punched him, "And you didn't say anything until tonight? That was LAST YEAR."

He didn't get a response.

"Anyway… why now?"

"It's the twentieth of April," Phoenix explained, "It's been exactly one year since we first met."

"Kinda creepy that you'd remember something like that."

"I do because… I love you, A–"

—–—–—

"–'Pollo. What are you writing?"

_Wait… what? _

Apollo jolted out of his fantasy… greeted by his boss' curious face, peering over from the desk. He was still on the office sofa, and as far from getting into Phoenix's pants as ever, "N-nothing, Mr. Wright!"

"Are you sure about that?" Phoenix said, flashing his magatama.

Apollo lifted his left arm, showing off his own trinket, "I thought we agreed to keep these things out of our personal lives."

"I don't need psyche locks to see that you're hiding something embarrassing."

And it was true. Apollo's hair spikes had made a habit of defying physics just to spite him in his embarrassment. And even without that, he had a very expressive face. There was no winning here.

"Yeah, yeah. Make fun of me. I don't care anymore."

His mentor laughed, "Aw, don't be like that. Trucy already told me about your diary, anyway."

_Diary? Is that what she calls the Journal of Justice? _It beat explaining what he had really been writing, he supposed, but it wasn't just any old dumb diary. Apollo wasn't ashamed; he was talking to Phoenix, after all, "At least I don't own the complete collection of Steel Samurai DVDs."

Phoenix tossed a figurine at him.

"Wha– OW." _I guess I found his weak spot, heh heh. _Apollo picked the toy. It was cheap plastic, but definitely the spitting image of Klavier, "What the hell is this?"

"Trucy's Gavinners figurine. Why? Did you want me to get you one, too?"

Apollo pretended he didn't hear that.

Phoenix yawned, "Anyway, it's nearly two. Shouldn't you be heading home soon?"

"But… it's raining."

The older man smirked, "Didn't stop you from rushing over here earlier." He got up, "Well, I'm not gonna kick you out, but I'm off to bed. You can crash here if you want. Just keep those Chords of Steel down; I have errands to run tomorrow."

"No, no… I'm leaving."

Phoenix laughed, "Don't get wet!"

Apollo put his journal down, stretched, and watched the love of his life lumber off out of the room–this time, without him.

He sat alone for a few more moments. He didn't want to leave, and it wasn't because of the rain. But Phoenix was gone for the night, and he didn't want to be alone there, either. Apollo forced himself to his feet. Better sooner than later. It was time to get soaked.

He glanced at the calendar as he walked out. April 20th was only a few days away. But despite the various other dates with info scrawled over them, it was blank. It wasn't unexpected; Apollo didn't think Phoenix would be the type to remember, or care. That was reality.

But after a year of dealing with him, Apollo was used to it.

_…It's really been a year, huh? _

Apollo opened the door and stepped out into the storm.

* * *

A/N:

Hello, first off, I wanted to thank you for reading! (if you're still here)

As you probably already guessed by the date, I'm starting this story the night before the second case of AA5 (and i'll likely continue through until a little after the final case). I'm actually writing this as I play along with the game... so apart from the first two cases and the dlc, you probably know more about where the plot's headed than I do. (I've been avoiding spoilers... apart from the Clay Terran guy, since he's... well, hot. He'll find his way into the fic eventually.)

Admittedly, I'm more accustomed to writing in first-person, but I figured that would turn people away from reading, since its a romance fic after all, hehe. Sorry for any narration mistakes I make... (That's also the reason Apollo writes in third-person, if you were wondering).

Not sure if I want to write smut yet (it could go either way), but I also don't know which rating this sort of fanfic should receive if there isn't any, since it's still kinda sexually suggestive? I'll change the rating (and add a disclaimer at the start of the chapter) if Apollo and Phoenix sex it up, but please let me know if this still warrants an M rating otherwise.

((Also, I know Apollo doesn't actually tell Trucy that he writes a diary (of sorts) until the next day (at least in the actual canon story), but let's pretend he mentioned it at some other point in time. Oops.))

—–—

One more thing:

So you know how we don't know much about the agency, or where Phoenix/Trucy live? (Unless it's stated in one of the later cases of AA5... then my bad). It was bothering me, so I basically created my own headcanon layout for the place (I whipped up a diagram of it here (remove spaces): goo . gl/FljYqR ).

I know it's inaccurate, but heck, the canon office is already pretty inconsistent (Mia's office in case 2 of AA1 was like twice as big, omg). But if you get confused with where I'm going with something, refer to the above map. (Also, ignore the fact that the office is canonically on the third floor. Whoops, haha.)

That's it for now.


	2. Chapter 2 - Another Greek God

**Chapter 2 - Another F***ing Greek God**

April 17, 2027

Apollo's first trip to the detention center alone was far from pleasant. His new client gave him quite a scare, and it had been half a year since his last case–the kid felt like a rookie all over again. He was also pretty tired–he blamed Phoenix for that. Despite knowing Apollo had walked home in the rain late last night, the heartless man woke him up early in the morning. For _babysitting_. In the end, he did get a new case out of it, but Phoenix had no part in that.

Just as he was getting ready to leave, his phone rang. He fumbled getting it out of his pocket. Thankfully, no one else was visiting in the detention center today; he didn't want to be caught with his rival's song as his ringtone.

The call was from Phoenix. Again. But despite his bitter feelings, Apollo couldn't help but smile. Seeing Phoenix's face was always… reassuring, even if it was just that goofy picture Phoenix took for his contact info. Not wanting to keep the man waiting, Apollo clicked answer and brought the phone up to his ear.

_Hey, babe… I mean_, "Justice here."

"Apollo, is that you?"

Apollo snorted. _Does Phoenix know anyone else named Justice?_ "Hi, Mr. Wright. What can I do for you?"

"Trucy told me you're taking on a new case."

"Oh, that." Apollo blinked. _Trucy? I thought she was with that Jinxie kid._ "It was kinda spur of the moment."

"That's fine, but I have a favor to ask."

Apollo sighed. Of course that would be the reason he called. When has he called for anything else? Apollo prayed it didn't have anything to do with toilet cleaning, "Sure. What is it?"

"I'm at the airport right now. There was someone I had to meet."

Apollo wilted; Edgeworth's name instinctively slipped out of his mouth, but Phoenix luckily didn't sound like he heard. Apollo was jealous, though. Phoenix cared so much for the man, it was almost as if… _No. Don't think like that, Apollo._ But still… normal friends wouldn't fly halfway across the world to visit each other… right? Apollo tried to shake the thought.

Phoenix continued, "A new addition to the agency, actually. Her name is Athena Cykes, and she just passed the bar."

_Oh._ He remembered hearing about the girl the other day, but with his excitement for a new case, Apollo had completely forgotten about her. He wasn't aware that she'd be joining them so soon, but it was _just_ like Phoenix to keep him out of the loop.

Phoenix just wouldn't shut up, "She took off as soon as I told her you needed help with a case. It was like there was no stopping her."

"Wait… WHAAT?!" Apollo yelled, embarrassing himself with his own volume, "…Where is she now?"

"Probably somewhere in Nine-Tails Vale by now. That's where that favor I mentioned comes in. I need you to go find her."

_Nine-Tails Vale, already? Didn't she just fly in from Europe? 'Took off', my ass, Mr. Wright… you're probably taking her over right now. _But Apollo was used to his boss' shenanigans; he didn't know why he expected otherwise, "But I've never even met her before. What does she look like?"

"She'll be the girl in the yellow suit sporting an attorney's badge."

_Yellow? What a tacky color. She'll be east to spot, at least. _"Okay. I'll find her."

And with that, Phoenix hung up.

_That's all he wanted?_ Peeved, Apollo shoved his phone back into his pocket. He didn't want help with the case; He was fine! And Apollo also wasn't keen on having another person join their agency–a total stranger, no less. The agency was his home. Trucy and… and Phoenix… what the hell was Phoenix thinking?

But he guessed all that was left to do was to head over to the village again to meet this… Athena.

—–—

Apollo was running on empty. He hadn't gotten any food or sleep all afternoon–both of which he needed desperately. Apollo had been slapped on the forehead repeatedly, yelled at, and hit by a flying policeman. And despite doing all the investigating they could, he and Athena still hadn't gotten anywhere with the case. It had been a long day. Longer than any dildo Apollo was willing to sit on.

Feeling crushed (Apollo especially), the duo returned to the Wright Anything Agency.

"Wow, are all of these rooms ours? This place is huge!" Athena exclaimed, "…It doesn't look much like an office, though."

She wasn't wrong. A TV and a dingy sofa sat where desks should have been. There was a dining table at the far end of the room, still cluttered with breakfast dishes. Boxes of junk had been stacked against the wall–untouched for as long as Apollo could remember–and various other items had been strewn about. Including adult underwear (that definitely _wasn't_ Trucy's magic panties). Apollo remembered it striking him as odd on his first visit, but then again, there really wasn't anything normal about the Wright family. And Apollo had gotten used to it. A lot of his own time was spent there in that very room.

He sometimes wondered why Phoenix hadn't just switched the two rooms, since as it was now, clients had to walk through to get to the office. But considering the way the office itself looked, maybe it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Phoenix and Trucy–mostly Trucy–had really made the place feel like a home… if that was a nice way of putting it.

Speaking of Trucy… she was sitting all of a few feet away from them.

Apollo cleared his throat, "Hey, Trucy… um. Athena, this is Trucy–Mr. Wright's daughter. Trucy? Athena."

The young magician had been engrossed in her deck of cards, fully unaware that Apollo and his new lackey had come in. She only perked up upon hearing her name. _Like father, like daughter._ Apollo sighed.

Trucy tipped her hat, "Who's the lady, Polly? Did you finally get a girlfriend?"

"What? No!"

Athena swatted at him, "Hey! Why were you so quick to shoot that down?"

Apollo blushed. It wasn't the idea of dating _Athena_ that he was against, but the idea of him dating a girl. But that wasn't something he could tell her.

Trucy chimed in, "It's because Polly is a big baby. He hasn't even had his first kiss, yet~"

"Y-You don't know that!" Apollo said, with a knot tightening in his stomach. It really wasn't true, even if Apollo sometimes wished it was.

The two girls quieted. Athena looked into Apollo's eyes, causing him to turn away, "Apollo? Are you… crying?"

"I'm, I'm not. I just got something in my a–I mean, EYE. Something in my eye."

Apollo wasn't actually _crying_, but his slightly blurred vision told him he wasn't alright, either. And Athena's attentiveness to emotions wasn't doing him any favors. _God, is there ANYONE in this agency I can hide things from?_

Ms. Yellow leaned over towards Trucy and (audibly) whispered, "Is he always like this?" to which the young magician shook her head. Athena grinned and shoved a peace sign in his face, "Aw… cheer up, Apollo! If you're hung up over not being kissed, I have a cute friend I could probably introduce you to!"

Apollo wanted to tell her that she was way off the mark there, but it was really for the best that he kept his mouth shut. He didn't need the girls' nosy noses poking into his past. And it wasn't like Athena would actually set him up on a blind date, right? He'd have to like… fly to Europe to make that happen.

A fourth voice jumped into the conversation, "Well, I hate to interrupt your girlfriend talk, but can I take Apollo off your hands for a little bit?"

The trio looked towards the office door simultaneously, where Phoenix had been leaning against the doorway for… who knows how long. Apollo was fairly certain that he hadn't been there when they came in, but…

"You're not going to make me do housework, right?" Apollo asked. Though if he was being honest, he would've preferred cooking or cleaning to talking with these two bullies. He'd have to do it eventually, anyway.

Phoenix grinned, "No, no… No chores. I just wanted to talk. About the case, I think."

_You think?_

"Alright." Apollo patted Athena's back, "Sorry. I'd love to hang around and chat about your female friends, but the grownups need to do big boy things now."

Athena rolled her eyes, "I'm _eighteen._ Whatever. I'll put my time to better use, like getting to know Trucy." Trucy stuck her tongue out at Apollo, which caused Athena to giggle, "So, what's up with the getup? Are you an aspiring magician?"

As soon as the word 'magic' hit her ears, Trucy lit up, "Yeah! I have a new card trick I've been working on. Did you want to see?"

And the two girls immediately forgot Apollo was with them. He shrugged, heading over to where Mr. Hobo was waiting for him. They entered the office, plopping down on the sofas across from each other.

They talked about the new case. Jinxie, meeting Athena… it had been an eventful day. Talking about his investigation was refreshing, considering how long it had been since they've done this last. Phoenix was fidgeting more than usual, but Apollo was hesitant to bring that up. He had things of his own to be worried about, namely, trying to get an extension for the trial. He needed another day of investigation, which seemed doubtful at this point.

"Um, Mr. Wright? You do… believe in me, right?"

Phoenix cocked his head, "What's this about?"

"Well, I don't know what I'm going to do… and earlier on the phone, you said you told Athena I needed help… so…"

The warmth in Phoenix's eyes faded, his expression angry, but subdued. He spoke in a soft voice, "Apollo… you're joking, right."

Apollo swallowed.

"I trust you with my life, Apollo. I always have, from the very start."

"But…" Apollo _did _remember being specifically requested to defend when Phoenix's life was on the line, but he also remembered that Phoenix had also faked evidence for his safety. Did that count as… trust?

Phoenix looked disappointed for needing to explain, "I brought her over to Nine-Tails Vale because I thought you could use some company. Maybe get to know each other." He pulled his beanie over his eyes, grinning, "You've done amazing things this past year, Apollo. Don't doubt yourself because of my poor choice in words; there's no room for doubt. If you believe in your client, I'll believe in you. "

Apollo blushed, "Thank you, Mr. Wright."

It wasn't Apollo's intention to instigate a pep talk, but it felt _damn_ good. He was still as unsure of himself as ever, but if Phoenix believed in him, maybe things would work out. It was the Wright way to win a trial with a last-minute turnabout, after all. And he was a Wright. Kinda.

Phoenix hastily brought up a new topic, "So… what do you think about Athena?"

Apollo shrugged, "She's nice…"

His tone raised an eyebrow, "…but?"

"But nothing," Apollo fibbed. He didn't dislike the girl, but he didn't want to admit he was sour because she'd be cutting into his alone time with Phoenix. That sounded childish.

"Alright. If you say so," Phoenix said, pouting like he was Trucy. _This is the man I …fell in love with. Just great._

"I'm curious, though… why do you always attract the weird ones?"

Phoenix smirked, "Well, what does that say about yourself? I attracted you, didn't I?"

He was right… in more ways than one.

Still, Apollo couldn't shake the feeling that Phoenix was uneasy about something. Like Phoenix had info he wanted to share. Apollo was tempted to probe, but as he was about to speak up, Phoenix carried on, "So, it's almost time for dinner."

"If you're expecting me to cook, you better have restocked the fridge." Apollo grumbled.

"Me?" the other man laughed, "I can't do my shopping without your help, Apollo. You know that."

Apollo clearly remembered the last time he had sent Phoenix grocery shopping alone… the man came back with less than half of the list, and a freezer bag of chicken-shaped chicken nuggets. _'Haha, don't they look like you? Firmly grasp them, Apollo~'_

With a deep (and defeated) sigh, Apollo muttered, "Well, we're having instant noodles tonight."

"Sounds good. Let me help you with that."

"…Please don't."

Phoenix looked offended, but after the udon fiasco, Apollo wasn't going to take his chances with Phoenix handling noodles anytime soon. Unless it was the one in his pants. Apollo couldn't understand how the Wrights survived before he took over the kitchen… unless Phoenix had been screwing with him this past year to get out of cooking. Not that Apollo minded. He liked feeling needed.

The conversation was over, and the two of them got up from their seats: Apollo for cooking, and Phoenix for…Apollo didn't even know. But before they got to the door, Phoenix grabbed him from behind, "Oh, and Apollo… one more thing."

"Yeah?"

And as Apollo turned to face the older man, his lips met Phoenix's for the first time.

* * *

A/N:

As you probably already guessed, no, they aren't going to get together yet (sorry). But on a side note, Phoenix's nervousness wasn't even related to their brief kiss at the end. And why was Apollo getting so emotional? And did Apollo firmly grasp his own chicken nuggets? We'll have to wait for future chapters to find out what was going on with everyone, heheh ;D

I wasn't sure how to do the scenes of the actual case (or if I wanted to do them at all), so hopefully you don't mind me borrowing text from the game. I'll try to do that sparingly (but this was Apollo's big case, after all).

((And I kinda have a headcanon where Apollo is insecure (likely because of his being abandoned and growing up in foster care). So that's what that portion of the chapter was about. I know he's become more confident with himself in Dual Destinies, but... am I writing him ooc then? idk. I also like to think Phoenix is a terrible cook, and Trucy only tolerated his food to make him feel better, but once Apollo joined them he does most of the dinner cooking. Fortunately for him, Athena joining the agency means another pair of hands for food/cleaning duties.))

Anyway, it's now nearing 6am, so I'm off to bed. Please message me if there are embarrassing typos or inconsistencies, thanks


	3. Chapter 3 - now is not the time

**Chapter 3 – now is not the time**

It had only lasted a heartbeat, but as soon as their mouths met, Apollo's heart had stopped. Phoenix kissed him. _Phoenix Wright_ had kissed _him_. The contact with Phoenix's lips sent fire flowing through Apollo's body. He felt his hands yearning for the man, himself trying to follow as Phoenix hastily pulled back. He wanted more.

And then he saw Phoenix's horrified face, and realized it had been a mistake.

The fleeting emotional high wore off. Apollo realized he was hard. But with Phoenix still close by and partially behind him, he hoped it went unnoticed. He quickly–but carefully–scooted back onto the sofa with his legs up, making sure the other man didn't see. Apollo turned red, partially covering his face with his hands. He said nothing. Phoenix said nothing.

_Why is he surprised? __He's__ the one that kissed __me__. I should be the surprised one here._ Which Apollo was–just not with the reaction Phoenix had given him. _But …he kissed me right? That isn't something someone like him would do impulsively. Does Mr. Wright …like…me?_

Apollo quickly dismissed the thought. Phoenix probably wasn't gay–and even if he was, Apollo was positive the man had no interest in him. There had been moments where he thought otherwise, sure. Suggestive comments, light touches, the time Phoenix invited Apollo to the public bath… which he hastily refused, of course. But months of subtlety and observation had given him all the proof he needed; Phoenix wasn't into him. He liked girls. The Dahlia Hawthorne case had established that, long before Apollo had even met the man. But yet, they were here. And Phoenix had kissed him. Apollo brushed his fingers over his mouth. _But why would he want to kiss me anyway? I'm not good enough for him…_

Apollo looked towards Phoenix, who was still standing to his left, petrified. "Mr. Wright?"

Phoenix snapped out of his daze. "U-Uh… I… um, I… I didn't…" he mumbled, more flustered than the man he just kissed.

Seeing his (normally aloof) mentor lose his cool was a new experience. It was the first time he could remember the man blushing. He didn't know Phoenix could be so… cute. Apollo wanted to reach over and–

"Sorry, Apollo. I didn't mean to kiss you…"

"Oh," Apollo playfully sassed, "so you just 'accidentally' shoved your mouth onto mine?"

Phoenix reddened even further, "Hey, it was only a light peck."

But he wasn't denying that it was intentional. Apollo's mind was a mess. _What should I say? What should I do? _He knew what he _wanted_ to do; but it wasn't an appropriate moment for that. Not that he had anything _inappropriate_ in mind–well, maybe his dick did, but that was irrelevant. He merely wanted to grab the other man and hold him tightly. Maybe lock lips properly this time, if the momentary taste Phoenix gave him meant anything. But if there really was a time and place for everything, it wasn't now. Taking Phoenix here would be like riding a bike indoors–something Apollo had actually attempted and sustained injuries from before.

Although if the bike in question were Phoenix, he guessed he wouldn't care when and where he had to ride it.

But he knew he couldn't just get up an embrace the man. Boner aside, a hug in this situation would mean something very different from any other. Yet Apollo still wanted to. Badly. Still, Apollo wondered what Phoenix's impulsive actions meant. Was he really not… gay? What else could explain this? Apollo didn't know if he was ready for an answer, but had to know,

"Mr. Wright, did you _want_ to kiss me?"

"It's not like that!" Phoenix quickly asserted, "I was going to kiss you on the cheek, but you turned around and… it was supposed to be your cheek."

His eyes averted. As he spoke, Apollo's bracelet began to feel slightly tighter on his wrist. Apollo wondered if it meant something, or if it was wishful thinking. Phoenix was usually good at avoiding his quirks… so why now? Maybe he needed to press Phoenix a bit, "Where you were going to do it doesn't make your reasoning any different, does it?"

"Okay, okay. I kind of eavesdropped about you not having a first kiss."

"…You what?"

"You were looking kind of down about it, so I figured you would appreciate it if your first kiss was from your favorite childhood celebrity."

Apollo's made a face, "… Celebrity?"

"Hey! _You_ were the one who admitted you were a huge fan growing up. And I _was_ known as the ace attorney. I even had an article written about me. Once." Phoenix looked away, diffidently, "Well it technically was about that sunburned doppelganger of mine, but…"

The younger man stifled a laugh, "You're such a dork. And yes, I know all about the article. 'Huge fan', remember?"

Phoenix smiled, "I guess so."

Apollo left out the part where he actually had a clipping of said article back at his place, and how he had gotten into an argument for defending Phoenix over it years back. It actually wasn't the only clipping he had collected about Phoenix's career, but Phoenix didn't need to know that.

The other man wasn't saying anything else, so Apollo spoke up with the first thing that came to mind, "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you dirtied your lips for nothing. That wasn't my first kiss."

"Oh," Phoenix said, "It was mine."

_Mr. Wright gave me his first kiss?_ Apollo wasn't sure if this 'first kiss' sort of thing meant anything to the man, or people in general… maybe it was just Apollo's unusual circumstances. But Phoenix had given him something special, and it was…nice.

"What about that girl who tried to poison you–Dahlia?"

"You mean _Iris_." Phoenix corrected, "And we never really… did that sort of thing."

"Why not?"

Phoenix scowled, "C'mon, 'Pollo. It's time to make some food."

Apollo shifted in his seat. He was _still_ hard somehow; he couldn't head off to the kitchen like this. "I… have something to take care of," he said sheepishly.

Despite his look of confusion, Phoenix nodded as he left, "Okay. I'll take care of it."

Hopefully he meant he was ordering takeout.

Apollo wondered how risky it would be to just whip it out and take care of business here, with Trucy and Athena in the adjacent room. He could even make it into a game. But with Phoenix gone, Apollo just guess that he'd stop having filthy thoughts, and it would take care of itself.

_So… that was it, huh? I guess I was overthinking things. Again. _Apollo tried to sound relieved for himself, but he felt a little more dead inside. Even if Phoenix had been acting unusual, Apollo should've known it would be nothing. Phoenix wasn't secretly into him. There wouldn't be a cliché confession; there wouldn't be a sappy 'happily ever after' ending to his story. He _told_ himself to expect nothing… but…

But Apollo wanted Phoenix. And he _wanted_ to want him, even if it would never work out the way he wished it would. He had invested himself too far into this mess.

Apollo pulled out his phone and began to text frantically.

[Help!]

_[[What's wrong, nugget?]]_

Thankfully, the reply came almost immediately. Apollo guessed he caught the other at a good time. He didn't know what he'd have done if he didn't have anyone to vent to, and he didn't really have anyone else.

[Mr. Wright kissed me]  
[He just grabbed me and he fucking KISSED me!]

_[[Only took a decade :P]]_

_[[But why are you here telling me about it? Go get the D]]_

If only it were that simple. But Apollo was trying to get out of the mood, and imagining Phoenix's "D" wasn't going to do him any good.

[…I don't think he likes me like that]

_[[Aw, why not? Didn't he kiss you?]]_

[It was only a light peck?]  
[and he did it to cheer me up, not because he likes me or anything…]  
[he thought I was sad about never having a first kiss]

_[[Heh. Sounds like an excuse to me]]_

[I really wish it was…]

_[[but I never thought you would lie to get a kiss from him]]  
[[you sneaky little shit ;D]]_

[It wasn't like that, I swear!]

_[[I know, I was just playing]]  
[[I'm glad we're friends.]]  
[[haha]]_

[What's so funny?]

_[[Just thinking about how I used to make jokes about you having a crush on him for years, and now here we are]]_

[I didn't have feelings for him back then!]

_[[I know, I know. You're just so fun to tease :P]]  
[[I didn't even think for a moment that you were into guys until… well]]_

_[[I'm just saying, back when we were kids I bet neither of us would've believed you'd be practically living with the guy. I like how things turned out between you two.]]_

[sigh. I don't think you understand what my relationship with Mr. Wright is like]

_[[You cook and clean and take care of his kid]]  
[[you two are practically a couple ;)]]_

[shut up]

_[[okayy]]  
[[you know, it feels like we haven't talked in forever]]_

[Well, we haven't, I guess]

_[[Yeah, my bad. gyaxa's been keepin me busy lately.]]  
[[Speaking of which, I should probly get going. Sorry]]_

[Ah, don't worry about it]

_[[Good luck with Mr. Wright!]]_

[Thanks, Clay. You too]  
[With your training, I mean. Not with Mr. Wright]

_[[Hah, I got ya. Let's chat again soon]]  
[[You be good.]]  
[[I love you]]_

Apollo set his phone down.

—–—

April 18, 2027

"Y-you want me to shout? Here?"

"That's right. Here, I'll go first, then you try." Apollo took a deep breath, "I'm Apollo Justice, and I'm fine!"

"All right, um… I-I'm Athena Cykes, and I'm fine!"

Apollo had overcome his fair share of insane trials throughout the past year, but he was nervous as always. It didn't help that this was the first time he was going in without the help of the Wright family. But luckily, he had Athena, who was just as nervous as him. He could yell his worries away all he wanted and blame the noise on her.

"What's with all the racket, you two?"

"Ah, Mr. Wright." Apollo laughed nervously, "Just a little voice workout." "Hey, what's with the suit?"

Phoenix attempted to look modest, but it was obvious that he was proud of his costume change, "Oh, this? I was thinking about getting my attorney's badge back, that's all."

"'That's all'? That's huge news! …But why now?"

"I have a feeling I'll be needed in the courtroom again sometime soon. But we can talk about that another time."

Apollo was curious, but even more than that, he was in awe of Phoenix's lack of hobo attire. And his body, which was accentuated nicely now that his baggy sweatshirt wasn't covering it. _Wow. I'm so used to seeing him in his usual laid-back clothes… That suit makes him look like a million dollars._

It was true that Apollo had grown to love the Phoenix he had spent the past year with, but seeing him return to the man he admired for so long was something new.

"So, are you all ready?" Phoenix asked, "It might be a good idea to check the Court Record again before stepping into the ring."

"…Right, Mr. Wright! B-But I'm fine!"

"I know you are." Phoenix said, grinning, "I'll be watching from the gallery. Good luck!" And with a playful slap on Apollo's behind, he walked off.

"Th-thanks!" Apollo stammered. _Damn it, Mr. Wright._

It was nearly time to start the trial, and all Apollo could think about was Phoenix in his beautiful, beautiful suit… and wanting to help him out of it.

And after he and Athena bluffed their way through the case for more time, maybe he would.

* * *

A/N:

Sooo I have names for future chapters set from before I even finished the first chapter of this fic, but it turns out naming chapters I don't have names for has proven to be difficult as heck. I actually had a creative title for this chapter, but its spoilers for something we'll get into in a later chapter, so I had to put it off for now (its definitely related to this title, though, if you know what im referencing)

Interesting thing to note was that the last bit (that sounds shoehorned in) was actually the first thing I wrote for this fic. I sort of shoved it in here bc I wanted the monstrous turnabout to be over and done with so I can move elsewhere with chapter 4… so sorry if it seems short and unimportant. I wanted to include that bit because the way Apollo reacted to Phoenix's suit was too adorable to not stick in a hobopollo fic.

Anyway, Im still on case 3 of my game, so I still don't actually know canon Clay. Could someone send me a private message about how clay is introduced in chapter four? I want to know if it'd be okay for me to have Clay actually meet up with Apollo (and possibly Phoenix) while he was still alive… or if the way Apollo talked about him made it sound like he hadn't met Phoenix before. I felt he was important to add into a fic that focuses on Apollo (both while he was alive and then …after), but im not sure if my plans will contradict the canon story

But thanks for reading. I'll try to write more often so the next chapter doesn't take as long. (hope you guys had a good Christmas)


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